Description Samurai Matsunaga Danjo Hisahide by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797 - 1861), master of ukiyo-e style of Japanese woodblock prints. Samurai Matsunaga Hisahide about to commit seppuku when facing defeat by an insurmountable opposed force. The 67-year-old warrior, seated in the appropriate position, has removed armor and shattered a cherished tea ceremony vessel to keep it from falling into his enemy's hands. The knife with which he will kill himself is on the ground in front of him, its blade wrapped with a cloth to prevent it from penetrating farther into his abdomen than called for the requirements of the ritual. Generally, as soon as the samurai had plunged the knife into his abdomen, he would be decapitated by a comrade.